What it's about: Using a case study of the white Bogle family of Oregon (more than 60 of whom have been arrested since 1920), this eye-opening saga of criminal genealogy reveals a sobering reality -- five percent of all families account for almost half the crime in America.

Why it matters: Timely and thought-provoking, In My Father's House interrogates long-held stereotypes linking race to crime, offering an empathetic approach to recognizing crime theories based on family dynamics.

What it is: a stirring anthology of candid contributions from 21 black women writers (including Tayari Jones, Morgan Jerkins, Gabourey Sidibe, Jesmyn Ward, and Jacqueline Woodson) that celebrates the transformative power of being seen in literature.

Don't miss: Kaitlyn Greenidge's "Books for a Black Girl's Soul," which includes recommendations for "A Book To Read When You Wish You Could Pack It All In and Just Be Missy Elliott," among others.

What it's about: the first -- and so far, only -- five star fleet admirals in United States Navy history (Chester Nimitz, William Halsey, William Leahy, and Ernest King) and how their accomplishments during World War II made the U.S. a dominant sea power.

Making rank: Each commander played a key role in rebuilding the U.S. Naval fleet after the attack on Pearl Harbor and, despite persistent rivalry, all four worked together to destroy the Axis fleets.

What it is: an engaging history of lighthouses, the "national treasures" that have served as the sites of numerous political, economic, military, and technological developments since the first American lighthouse was built in 1716 in Boston.

Featuring: stories of heroic lighthouse keepers, including Ida Lewis (1842-1911), who saved 18 people during her 54-year tenure as keeper of Lime Rock in Newport, Rhode Island.

What it's about: In 1804, Amasa Delano, a sea captain with abolitionist sympathies, found the slave ship Tryal in distress off the coast of Chile. Discovering that the 70 enslaved West Africans aboard had revolted (killing many of the crew and taking the ship's captain hostage), Delano reacted with swift violence against the mutineers.

Is it for you? Dramatic and thought-provoking, thisgripping history examines the disturbing hypocrisy of the newly "free" Colonial America.

What it's about: the beginning of the Barbary Wars, instigated in 1801 when the newly elected President Thomas Jefferson refused to pay ransom to the Barbary States for captured American merchant ships.